Yet Another Start

ABeen away, now we're back. No excuses. On to the the day.

A recent bear from my 30 Bear Challenge on Facebook. Scraps of soft pastel on scrap of velour matboard. Finished image would mat to 7" x 5."

Progressions: 1)

No thoughts except "bear" and "highlights," and "fit image to mat." This is a scary time. But one must keep going.

2) Keep going. Keep going.

I have large hands. Fingers don't like working with bits, chips, and small pieces of pastel. "Tough," I tell them, "It's our mission to use these tiny colors to possibly create some new beauty." "We NEED more BEAUTY," I tell fingers. (This is a lie. I simply want to use up more bits of pastel.) Time to break out of the blue and see what happens. Come on, little pastels, you can do it!

3) A bruin is appearing. I want it to be Joyful. Lift those arms skyward! Pick up those feet! Fingers, grab that lovely intense light blue! And more yellow! Make tentative marks within the bold ones! (Sadly, I'm quite good at making tentative marks. Be brave enough to go for Bold!)

"Why is that line of bright green dots there?," you ask. For Fun! And perhaps - a bit a Stability.  And a wish for Spring in this white white Upper Midwest. And because I love that color.

4) Keep making marks, keep making decisions. Blend some parts. Keep other spots untouched. This is the time of Tiny Miracles. Don't go too fast. (I almost always go too fast.) Let the image form. More decisions. More marks. Good thing that pastel on velour mat-board is quite forgiving and one can re-work areas deemed in need of such. (Recalling pen-and-ink horrors... I shall not elaborate...)

At this point I have no "good" reasons for placing colors, other then feel for composition and an unbalanced balance. Six colors used so far. Is that enough? For this piece, probably. But one must keep options open. It's fun to work with abstract shapes after most often drawing blue "lakes" and green "trees." It's scary to dare to play. But fun to have fun. This bear is making me happy. This piece might be a 'successful" piece. I try not to care. I'm one who likes succeeding, darn it. But the end seems to be near - that's a whole other problem....

5) I keep fitting the matting over the image. Choosing the final cropping. At this size an eighth of an inch can make a big difference. And I know that the finished piece will be used in cards and a variety of reproductions. An 10 x 8 reproduction crop differently than a 6 x 4 image for a greeting card. Now we're starting to leave the Fun and return to Business. Sigh. Keep adding high-lights! Stay with the Joy!  You can do it. You can do it! A few more marks, a couple more blends. One more look overall. And, ta da!, let's consider this bruin done. 

Now it's time to relax and enjoy the results. This piece came quite easily - whatever THAT means. One is not often so lucky. And there are so many small bits of pastel left...

But we'll leave them for another day.

Hoping this piece inspires YOU to pick up something and make your own marks. 

Time to get back to transplanting zinnias and tomatoes and starting to plant the beloved Sweet Basil.

Fare-thee-well,

Sue

Desk and Journals - 10

One More Part of ChallengeAccomplished!

Hard to believe. The once-more-than-crammed-full-of-papers drawer has been emptied!

Emptied, turned over and particles knocked into waste basket, lovingly dusted, showed off to impressed husband, and carefully returned to old solid grooves. Yes, it now houses  few things - the one gallon sized plastic bag of saved papers, a small cutting board, some "I'm taking a long walk," "Dad & I are on the long walk," "I'm walking to Greeley" notes that get re-used through the year. That's all.

That was yesterday's fifteen minute adventure.

Today's was taking papers from the bag and cutting and folding some to be made into more small journals. Eight journals worth of papers are out of one bag and into another. Ye haw. Or Woo Hoo.

Yes, these days the tiniest of baby steps are semi-exciting.

Here are bags: Think what you will -

Journals to the left, useful paper to the right. And, yes, I got picky about the papers. So now the question is what will happen when MORE paper wants to find it's way into this desk? That's when discipline and judgement will come into serious play.

On the artsy side - March 2-3 will find us vending at the Hilldale Center in Madison, Wisconsin, and the following week we plan to be at Green Bay, Wis's Arti Gras Art Festival (right across from Lambeau Field).

This morning cashews were the subject of sketching. And a snack after breakfast.

Now it's time to quit this fun and get on to making signage for the show.

"Courage and perseverance have a magical talisman, before which difficulties and obstacles vanish into air." - John Quincy Adams.
Or one can hope...

Do something fun. Make someone happy.

Fare-thee-well,
Sue

Desk and Journals - 9

Thoughts and actions while continuing the cleaning of The Junk Drawer - 15 minutes worth, but worth it.

1) I want to have the energy of squirrels.
2) I don't particularly care for the cereal grain, quinoa. Tried. Tried Tried. Failed.
3) The white noise of You Tube waterfalls doesn't stop the shaking in my head. (medical mystery continues)
4) Will we get Lucky at Goodwill today? (No.)
5) Even Schubert on radio and waterfalls on computer don't drown out chiming.
6) The grey squirrels still can't do the black squirrel "trick" of getting to the cylindrical bird feeder and it's suet container. They can get to the feeder top - but the next step, so to speak, is still beyond them. Educational and entertaining.
7) I've tossed an original bear drawing from 1998. Sorry Tina Bear.
8) Saved original drawing of Steve Bear from 1998. Text on drawing: All night long Steve waited for the fun to begin. And into the early morning hours as well. (Who knew how fitting this is to living right now?) Steve, ol' lad, you're safe for now.
9) Tossed old Sojourner Studios model horse tack order forms. Memories of a former life. Four-month backlogs of orders for tiny leather saddles, bridles, harnesses. Twenty years of good memories.Yes, you might live many lives. By choice or by circumstance. Make the most of each life you live - and move on, if possible, if you feel that the current one is not the one that's making you want to wake up and start the day. (Do as I say, not as I do - hahaha.)
10) Saved numbered forms from previous Name the Bread contests. Numbered to 20, plus an Extra Credit space. Wow. We must have been ambitious in the party's bread sculpting that year. This year we managed ten doughy creations. (If you get bored with living knead some bread dough and shape it into whatever you choose. The rising dough may surprise you - but it might be fun, and, cross-fingers, the results will be delicious.)

So that's it for 15 minutes in my chinging dinging brain. The drawer is 15 minutes more organized, blogging's accomplished, and much of the day remains.

One on-going pastel project:

It's a bit more finished now, but you can see how the playing starts.

MUST PLAY MORE!!!!!

On to the art fair applications.
Fare-thee-well,
Sue

Getting Ready for The Season

* Time to put more paint on board.
* Will still spend 15 minutes on that Desk Drawer Challenge this morning.
* Here's some bears for the day:

Make this day remarkable in some small or giant way?

Fare-thee-well,
Sue

Desk and Journals - 8

Back at the task.

 Here was the drawer this morning - sigh.

Slightly disheartening? NO! Three 15 minutes Challenges later we have a lighter drawer, 17..... 17.....professionally printed To Do Lists - argh, and a bunch of paper squares cut in sizes from 3 1/2" to 5 " square. Useful little beasties - some to keep. Some to bring, TODAY, to American Gothic Antiques. Will also share several To Do Lists - woo hoo!

To Do Lists = Guilt about not filling out To do Lists? Not anymore. My lists are kept in small spiral notebooks that keeps the lists together - for better or for worse. Much better system for my little brain, but it keeps the non-checked-off items in plain sight. I use only one notebook at a time, so even though the un-done items stay at hand,  the checked-off items give a tiny thrill of accomplishment. We all need tiny Thrills of Accomplishment from time to time.

Tiny Thrill? Seeing the wooden bottom of the drawer! A sew square inches of emptiness of paper! Huzzah!

Baby steps. Baby steps. Maybe I'll grab a bag from the drawer and bring it to work today. A bag of paper and our smallest paper cutter? It will be "busy work," but part of the Big Challenge. Justify! Justify!

And what would an organized junk paper drawer look like? I'm planning on 4 to 6 plastic bags with different sized papers. Not helter-skelter. Neat. Purposeful. Possible? On to it.

Time, also, to keep applying to the various art festivals. Not may favorite part of the process, but that's the way the system works. Makes me want to keep sorting junky paper, but then the bears couldn't go visit all those events in the Midwest that they enjoy being part of (poor grammar - yup).

On to the tasks on this nippy day. Bundle up if going out in our beloved Midwest! Have enough gas in the vehicles, and non-slip foot-ware on your feet. Chopper mitts and serious boots are dress code for the day!

Fare-thee-well,
Sue

Candle

Greetings -
Yes, we will get back to desk and journals, but first it's time to get back to typing.
Today's Topic: Candles

Yes, I've finally converted. It's been many months of lighting at least one candle for part of the day. For the fun of playing with matches. For the friendly glow. For the using up of storage locker treasures.

No, the lighting of the large pale green one did not help the Green Bay Packers in that last play-off game. But, yes, the hope that it might was the reason it was kept burning. No, these are not  new special candles. These are large, once-upon-a-time expensive sorts, previously used ones that I'd considered tossing in the trash. However, they seemed to whisper "Hey, we've got LOTS of light left to give, if given the chance. Okie dokie. Let the burning begin!

Once aglow, each candle has it's own personality. It's time to spend time observing wick, flame, orange dots atop wick, black carbon specks, reflections of wax and flame. Reflect some yourself.

Then comes the fun with the single-edged razor blade. Yup. One of the reason I burn candles is to play with them. It's a gentle sort of slash and burn. Shaving the sides down into the hollow creates a shorter candle, but a longer-used candle. And most of us want to be useful as long as possible, don't we?

The green candle's wick finally gave up, but the wax continues to be melted in with other candles. Thanks, green candle. You smelled good, lasted long (heck, a small chunk of you is still here,) you did help the Pack win a few games - ha!, and I will miss you when you are completely melted away. You have been an Excellent Candle. 

This summer I will not pass quickly by those boxes of large, dusty, once-lovely used candles. If priced a quarter or fifty cents, or gasp! FREE, they have a really good chance of going to a good home instead of the garbage pit. I will see them in a new light - yes. And maybe you will, too. 

So, on to the day. In a bit I will blow out the current red candle (getting shorter every day) and head to the Phipps Art Center in Hudson, Wisconsin. We are holding  our first What We Need is Here seminar of the year. 

Candles? What I Need is Here.

If you can - be a light to someone today!

Fare-thee-well,

Sue

Desk and Journals - 7

Well, well, some progress has been made.
This past week I'd settled in for a quick 15 minute stint on the giant pile of mysteries and a bit over two hours later (yes, I was in The Flow....), well, The Space Was Empty. Where there's been Chaos now was a Zen-like Void. The old wood appeared. A dust cloth appeared also - and woo hoo - a magnificent large hollow clean space came into being.

This was not a baby step. This was a giant stride - at least in my eyes. I left it empty until the next day - and occasionally opened the door  - just for the Joy of knowing this part of the Challenge was Completed. When YOU complete a Task or Challenge or Mission please allow yourself a bit of Pleasure in the Having Done. Don't go immediately to the next item on the list. Have a hot cup of tea or a cold glass of beer and simply gaze at your accomplishment. Remember this. "This, too, shall pass."

So what of the papers???? Well. Armed with an awl, ruler, foam core, needle, waxed linen thread, and such, I've begun making more Junk Drawer Journals. They are not perfect. Some are not pretty. All are somewhat useful, and each one has been a bit of fun to create. In fact, I don't feel much like making Real Art right now. Or finish with taxes.... It's pleasant to sort and punch and stitch and embellish these little nothings of reuse/recycle.
There are twenty journals so far. One's been put to use. One's been given to a friend. Others await their missions.

They hold Potential. Ideas. Sketches. Quotes. Grand Schemes. A child's first scribble. The birth of a novel. That's the magic of the blank page - no matter the size. In fact, the smallness and scrapiness of those volumes might just leave a person feeling less worried about ruining a beautiful and "precious" JOURNAL. I'll bring some along to art fairs - to give to those folks who say "I WANT to draw, but - " Heck, here's little sketchbook. "I want to write, but - ". Heck, here's a little notebook. No excuse now, right?  Write. Draw. Enjoy your new bit of Personal Potential. It's only paper - and a bit of waxed thread. But it could change your life.... (If you'd like one let me know.)

On to the rest of Groundhog's Day. May yours be Happy. The squirrel in the patio seems to be enjoying it - we would do well to follow its example!

Fare-thee-well,
Sue